No, they’re not setting the mood for mile-high club hopefuls.
Dimming the lights during takeoff and landing on night flights might appear to be a superfluous measure to facilitate passenger sleep. Nonetheless, this peculiar protocol is enacted for a vital safety reason — to assist those on board see in case an emergency.
“The lights within the cabin are dimmed at dusk and when it’s dark out, so your eyesight can adjust in an effort to more easily evacuate the aircraft,” former United Airlines flight attendant Sue Fogwell told “Travel + Leisure” of the measure, which is barely enacted during nocturnal trips.
In line with Easy Flying, it takes the human eye around ten to half-hour to totally acclimate to the dark.
Turning the lights down low gives passengers and crewmembers overtime to regulate to the gloom, effectively making it easier for them “the see the ground lights that result in exits” within the event of an evacuation, Fogwell claims.
By an identical token, flight attendants will flip the lights on when it’s vivid outside so passengers aren’t blinded when deplaning.
These seemingly trivial measures might be critical during an emergency, when crewmembers must give you the chance to evacuate a flight in 90 minutes or less, as dictated by the Federal Aviation Administration.
These safety concerns are also why many airlines require the window shade to be up during takeoff and landing as well.
“Raising your window shade during takeoff and landing makes it easier for the flight attendants to evaluate any exterior hazards, like fire or debris, that may interfere with an emergency evacuation,” pilot Patrick Smith of AskThePilot.com told “Travel + Leisure.”
The logic is that anything happens during takeoff or landing, your eyes may have adjusted light outside, thereby allowing you to react more quickly, per flight blog BAA Training.
Keeping the air portal open is crucial during takeoff, approach, and landing as that’s when accidents are most definitely to occur.